The fully vented nursing bottle with integral single piece vent tube relates generally to infant serving products. More specifically, the present invention refers to nursing bottles having an internal venting tube that prevents a vacuum within the bottle and assists any infant, including a premature infant, to suck liquid from the bottle.
A unique aspect of the present invention is the single piece construction of a vented insert and a reservoir that cooperate and fully vent the feeding container while preventing leakage from the container. The present invention also includes an expanding diameter venting tube that expands superiorly to form into the reservoir, which is attached to the insert. The insert rests upon the opening of the feeding container and the entire venting mechanism provides for full venting during both usage.
Newborns and older infants are in need of sustenance in the form of calories, hydration, vitamins, and minerals. Initially, infants require feeding every two to four hours and occasionally more often. Traditionally, breast-feeding has supplied the aforementioned sustenance. Babies have the instinct to suckle milk from their mothers. However, at times, breast milk is inadequate, does not appear, or the infant's mother lacks the ability to breast feed her infant. Also, other factors may interfere with the infant receiving adequate hydration and nutrition. An infant may be premature or have anatomical changes that may interfere with feeding, such as a cleft lip or palate, or have developmental changes that preclude adequate breast feeding.
For a variety of reasons though, babies often drink liquids from other sources. Babies lack the ability to drink from ordinary glasses and cups without spilling. So, liquids are fed to babies using baby or nursing bottles. A nursing bottle features a nipple silicone, latex, rubber or other material with a hole in its tip secured across an opening in the top of the nursing bottle. The current nursing bottle is used by filling the bottle with a liquid, inserting the venting structure, securing the nipple, inverting the bottle, and placing the nipple into the baby's mouth and the baby takes it from there.
Early on, inventors created closed containers to assist feeding infants. The original feeding devices consisted solely of a container with a pliable end that was nipple shaped. With this arrangement, instant and significant negative pressure instantly builds within the interior, or inner space, of the container. An analogous situation occurs when an individual ascends in an airplane and the pressure in the middle ear fails to equalize as the pressure decreases within the airplane, causing a significant amount of ear pain. In a baby bottle, this large vacuum causes a larger negative pressure to form intra-orally in order to withdraw the feeding liquid form the bottle. This is basically identical to the pressure that forms when the infant sucks on its thumb or pacifier, and when airplane travel causes ear pain. All of these pressures have been shown to contribute to the formation of ear fluid, ear infections, speech and motor delay, and delayed cognitive development.
The prior art then introduced a slit, or defect, in the rim of the feeding nipple, to allow air to enter the container as the negative pressure accumulates. This adaptation slowly and partially vents the bottle after a vacuum forms while the infant feeds and exposes the infant to the detrimental effects of negative pressure as previously described. The adaptation also contaminates the feeding liquid as air percolates through the feeding liquid that the infant then swallows, or ingests. The ingested air is known to cause colic, fussiness, reflux, and gas induced abdominal pain.
Currently, other nursing bottles, except those by the inventors, are tightly sealed but for the opening in the feeding end of the nipple and the venting slot, or hole, in the flange of the nipple, the bottom of the container, or other locations on a bottle. In bottles, except those by the inventors, as the baby nurses, the volume of liquid in the bottle decreases and the vacuum in the bottle increases proportionally. Also, the liquid becomes contaminated by the air bubbles percolating through the liquid as it emanates from the venting slit, or hole, in the container. However this invention and the other patented devices of the inventors use vent tubes that allow ambient air to enter the bottle behind the liquid while the baby suckles. This venting structure eliminates any vacuum within the bottle created by the suckling baby. The vacuum is continuously and automatically vented. The vent tube improves the flow of liquid out of the nipple and makes it easier for the baby to suckle. The baby faces less risk of sucking in air and the resulting colic.
The negative pressures, or vacuums, in the unvented and undervented containers previously described and the air introduced into undervented containers are not physiological variables but rather mechanical shortcomings that can cause significant infant morbidity. It is well known that breast feeding involves a positive pressure within the breast. The positive pressure has been measured by inserting canulas into the ducts of a breast.
Infant and infant feeding containers originally had a narrow superior orifice to which the nipple was attached. Caregivers noted that the narrow opening prevented ready access to the interior of the bottle and prevented easy cleaning of the interior of the bottle. Manufacturers then addressed that shortcoming with bottles having larger diameter openings. Those bottles have met with sales success in the marketplace.
The larger openings called for manufacturing and usage of nipples and feeding spouts with larger diameter flanges to mate with the opening of the bottle. The larger diameter flanges prevented leaks where the nipples joined to the bottles. However, the larger diameter nipples, retaining the same distance from the superior to the inferior end of the nipple, have a larger volume of air contained by the nipples.
Further, infants often chew upon nipples though nipples remain designed for suckling to remove fluid from a container. Nipples and other feeding accessories therefore have toughened designs to resist chewing. Chewing of nipples arises more often in infants with feeding problems, such as neurological delays or deficits. The neurological delays induce a frequent chewing motion by the infant upon objects placed in the mouth, often nipples.
During frequent chewing on the feeding nipple, that has a larger diameter and a larger volume of air than nipples of standard size, the infant can compress this air distally into the bottle itself, thereby increasing the pressure upon the interior of the bottle. The increased pressure may possibly force liquid distally into a venting tube located within the bottle. The liquid under pressure may traverse the vent tube and enter the vent insert, and then possibly exit the bottle. The pressurized liquid can only occur when using larger diameter nipples in combination with reservoirs that utilize un-tapered, or straight, venting tubes. Further, when a cylindrical vent tube is replaced with a conical vent tube in the present invention, the incidence of liquid moving up the vent tube can no longer occur as an infant compresses the large volumetric nipple.
A type of feeding container using a collapsible bag has been introduced, but is messy, expensive, and provides a negative feeding pressure in the last two ounces of feeding liquid. A feeding container from Offman, with a vent in the side of the neck of the bottle has been introduced, but its design prevents cleaning and its reservoir leaks. Previously, the Applicants have introduced a vented container using a venting tube and reservoir formed in two pieces. The Applicants' prior inventions consist of a feeding container and a venting mechanism that provides for full and continuous venting, without leaks, and without percolation of air through the feeding liquid.
Other applications requiring fluid distribution without the antagonistic effects of a vacuum and without air contamination of the liquid can benefit from a fully vented container which provides for the egress of fluid at a desired rate.
Many other attempts have been made to provide a nursing bottle with an air vent to reduce the creation of a vacuum during suckling. An early patent to Roderick, U.S. Pat. No. 598,231 has a nursing bottle with a U shaped tube. However, the average baby, upon uplifting a bottle, had some liquid retained in the U shaped tube. The retained liquid blocked the tube and prevented ambient air from releasing any vacuum within the bottle. Other patents show related types of technology, and provide means for venting air from the interior of a container, as can be seen in the U.S. patent to Van Cleave, U.S. Pat. No. 927,013. In addition, the patents to Davenport, U.S. Pat. No. 1,441,623 and to Perry, U.S. Pat. No. 2,061,477, show other means for venting air from within a nursing bottle.
In the preceding work of these applicants, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,779,071 and 5,570,796, venting and internal tubes prevent the formation of partial vacuums during suckling and also resisted spills. The '071 patent provides a venting tube that extends into a bottle and a reservoir. The venting tube has a hollow cylindrical shape projecting sufficiently downwardly into the bottle. The '796 patent provides a reservoir located above a mark on the bottle. The reservoir communicates with a conduit system to replace suckled liquid with air from the exterior of the feeding container by allowing air to enter the reservoir thus to the bottom of the container, preventing a partial vacuum in the bottle when in the feeding position. Nursing bottles of a multitude of designs are available in the prior art. In all instances, except for the patented devices of the inventors, a vacuum will be generated within the bottle during dispensing of its contents, as when nursing an infant. A vacuum is believed to cause various physiological impairments to the infant when subjected to this type of condition. The vacuum generated within the bottle, due to the infant's sucking, can cause pressure imbalance at the location of various parts of the body, such as in the ear canal, which may lead to fluid, ear infection, speech delay, motor delay, developmental delay, illness, and other impairments. Thus, the presenting of a nursing bottle that incorporates air venting means, so as to prevent the creation of a vacuum inside the bottle, has been considered a desirable development in the field of infant serving products. Such can be seen in the inventors' prior patents '071 and '769, when the feeding bottle is inverted, or in the feeding position, external air enters around the threads of the bottle, into the insert, into the reservoir tube, through the venting tube to the bottom of the bottle, thereby completely eliminating all vacuum and air bubbles entrained.
The current invention provides means for venting of any vacuum within any feeding, or other container, angled, straight, wide neck or other shape, and to prevent the generation of any vacuum or pressure therein, regardless whether the nursing bottle is being used when partially or fully inverted as during consumption of its contents.
Other U.S. patents that relate to the subject matter of this invention include the U.S. patent to Briere, U.S. Pat. No. 189,691; U.S. Pat. No. 345,518, to Lelievre; U.S. Pat. No. 679,144, to Hardesty; U.S. Pat. No. 834,014, to Lyke; U.S. Pat. No. 1,600,804 to Donaldson; U.S. Pat. No. 2,156,313, and to U.S. Pat. No. 2,239,275 Schwab; U.S. Pat. No. 2,610,755, to Gits; U.S. Pat. No. 2,742,168, to Panetti; U.S. Pat. No. 2,744,696, to Blackstone; U.S. Pat. No. 3,059,707, to Wilkinson, et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,796, to Brown, et al. In addition British patents No. 273,185 and No. 454,053 show related developments.
Nevertheless, the prior art containers and methods suffer from significant disadvantages except for the inventions of the Applicants. Such disadvantages include:
1 The formation of vacuums that prevent oral feeding by infants with cerebral palsy, cleft lip, cleft palate, and other feeding difficulties.
2 The formation of vacuum within a container that prevents or delays premature infants from going home promptly when the premature infants have a poor sucking reflex or require weaning from a feeding tube.
3 The formation of vacuum within a container that prevents or suppresses close bonding contact between caregivers and premature infants that have a poor sucking reflex or require weaning from a feeding tube.
4 The formation of vacuum within a container that prolongs hospitalization and increases costs for premature infants that have a poor sucking reflex or require weaning from a feeding tube.
5 Manufacturing for prior art containers has a high cost for the components including the container, vent parts, and collapsible bags.
6 Because of cost, reusable feeding containers are used repeatedly thus incurring sterilization and handling costs.
7 In the hospital environment where many infants are present in one location and because of government rules and regulations, costly not intended for disposal are used and then disposed after each feeding.
8 As infants require multiple feedings per day, repeated use of prior art feeding containers increases the incidence of an infant receiving a feeding container previously used by another infant or an ill infant.
9 Because hospital staff, including nurses, use and reuse a small number of containers and keep each infant on the same type of container first used by the infant, again the incidence rises of an infant receiving a feeding container previously used by another infant or an ill infant.
10 Also, the parents of an infant will likely reuse a small number of containers and keep their infant on the same container that the infant likes, which again increases the incidence of their infant receiving a feeding container previously used in a hospital nursery by another well or ill infant.
11 Often, ill infants with varying severity of illness, require feedings not just multiple times per day but also multiple times per hour which increases the possibility of contamination when non-disposable containers are reused.
12 The prior art bottles, except those of the inventors, do not provide an internal vent system and mechanism for containing fluids which keeps the air vent ports clear of feeding liquid. Therefore the prior art bottles, except those of the inventors, often leak when held improperly.
13 Parents, hospital staff, nurses, and relatives report that leakage from vent holes in prior art bottles, other than those of the inventors, causes problems.
14 When prior art bottles release feeding liquid, a vacuum, or negative pressure occurs in non-vented or partially vented bottles.
15 Any vacuum existing in a prior art bottle, except those by the inventors, induces a vacuum in the intra-oral cavity of an infant which spreads into the ears and leads to accumulation of ear fluid, ear infections, speech and motor delays, and cognitive delay among other unhealthy maladies.
16 Prior art bottles, except those of the inventors, that cause a vacuum have a difficult and irregular release of the feeding liquid.
17 Vacuum formation in prior art bottles, except those of the inventors, prevents an infant from feeding on demand, the preferred method of feeding.
18 Frequently, prior art bottles, except those of the inventors, introduce air into the feeding liquid that gets ingested by an infant. The ingested air contributes to colic, irritability, fussiness, and abdominal gas pain.
19 Further, vacuum formation prevents the use of a feeding liquid container without a positive pressure liquid source powered by a pump to overcome the negative pressure within prior art bottles, except those of the inventors. Such pumps burden parents and hospital staff with mechanical devices and higher cost.
20 To overcome the vacuum in prior art closed containers, except those of the inventors, a vent hole can be placed in the body of the fluid filled container. The vent hole, particularly its location, creates a void through which feeding liquid readily escapes, or leaks, and contaminates the immediate area along with decreasing the amount of feeding liquid remaining in the container.
21 In prior art bottles, except those of the inventors, precise release of feeding liquid has proven difficult as the release is irregular due to the gradual rise of the negative pressure.
22 Additionally, vent holes in prior art containers, except those of the inventors, ostensibly for leakage prevention, prove difficult to keep clean thus fostering contamination of feeding liquid by bacterial growth.
The present art overcomes the limitations of the prior art, that is bottles that vent through a void in the flange of the nipple, or container, where a need exists for reducing vacuum inside nursing bottles. That is, the art of the present invention, a single piece tube with laterally vented insert allows air to exit rapidly and distally from a tube into the bottom of the bottle and liquid to flow promptly into a reservoir thus eliminating the formation of a vacuum within a nursing bottle. The enlarged proximal portion of the vent tube minimizes the incidence of leakage from the bottle. The present invention cleans easily, endures inadvertent chewing, and dissipates pressure generated by chewing. The present invention prevents leaks and continuously vents a bottle, thus eliminating any air bubbles in the vent tube.
Additionally, the present invention presents the following advantages:
1 The elimination of vacuums fosters oral feeding by infants with cerebral palsy, cleft lip, cleft palate, and other feeding difficulties.
2 The elimination of a vacuum within a container cuts days off the time before premature infants can go home because they reinforce their sucking reflex and are weaned more quickly from a feeding tube.
3 The complete elimination of vacuum within a container fosters close bonding contact between caregivers and premature infants that have a poor sucking reflex or require weaning from a feeding tube, leading to happier infants.
4 The complete elimination of vacuum within a container shortens hospitalization and reduces costs for premature infants that can be weaned more quickly from a feeding tube.
5 Manufacturing for the present invention has a low cost for the components including the container and vent parts.
6 Because of the low cost, the components of the present invention are disposable.
7 In the hospital environment where infants receive care in groups, the inexpensive, fully-vented, non-aerating infant feeding container of the present invention is designed to be discarded following each feeding.
8 As infants require multiple feedings per day, the present invention can be discarded due to its low cost, which decreases the incidence of an infant receiving a feeding container previously used by another infant or an ill infant.
9 As hospital staff, including nurses, have a small number of containers, some prepackaged with formula. The present invention allows use of any type of preferred formula.
10 The parents of an infant likely have a limited number of containers, some prepackaged with formula, are able to keep their infant on its preferred container, which again decreases the incidence of an infant receiving a feeding container previously used by another infant in a hospital nursery or an ill infant.
11 The present invention does not call for reuse as a durable item because it can be discarded. Without repeated use, the incidence decreases of an infant receiving a feeding container previously used by another infant or an ill infant.
12 Often, ill infants with varying severity of illness, require feedings not just multiple times per day but also multiple times per hour which the disposable feature of the present invention supports and thus decreases contamination formerly caused by reuse of bottles.
13 An internal vent system and mechanism for containing fluids is included in the present invention which keeps the air vent ports clear of feeding liquid regardless of improper holding of the container.
14 Parents, hospital staff, nurses, and relatives will benefit from a marked reduction in leaks from bottles as the present invention has no need to use vent holes.
15 When the present invention releases feeding liquid, no vacuum, or negative pressure occurs.
16 The lack of a vacuum within the present invention prevents the existence of a vacuum in the intra-oral cavity of an infant which decreases the incidence of accumulation of ear fluid, ear infections, speech and motor delays, and cognitive delay among other maladies.
17 The present invention has easy and regular release of the feeding liquid to the infant as a result of the absence of a vacuum.
18 The present invention, because there is no vacuum, encourages an infant to feed on demand, the preferred method of feeding.
19 The present invention does not introduce air into the feeding liquid that gets consumed by an infant and therefore greatly reduces the possibility of colic, irritability, fussiness, and abdominal gas pain.
20 Further, no pump is required by the present invention as no vacuum has to be overcome. Such pumps are a burden on parents and hospital staff and increase the cost of care.
21 Since, the present invention has no vacuum, vent holes are not needed in the body of the fluid filled container. The present invention has no need of a vent hole through which feeding liquid could leak, contaminate the immediate area, and also decrease the amount of feeding liquid remaining in the container.
22 The present invention provides for precise release of feeding liquid as the release is regular due to the constant positive pressure.
23 The present invention has no holes in the wall of the container as in the prior art containers, except those of the inventors, thereby making the container easier to clean and reducing the possibility of contaminating the feeding liquid with air and bacteria.
The present invention with the advantages described and avoiding the disadvantages of the prior art containers, except those of the inventors, provides infants and their care givers a container for feeding liquid with virtually no leaks, no vacuum, and little, if any, air ingested by the infant.